I voted for Obama and wanted him as president because I believed he was for gay rights, but now I am sorry I voted for him because he has not kept his promises to support gay rights and several other important issues. I’ll not be voting for him when he reruns in the next election if he isn’t going to give gays and Lesbians equal rights in the military, in marriage, in jobs, housing and go after any organization including religious ones that preach hatred and violence against them. By not answering Congress he is saying no and I am saying no to voting for him in the next election.

I still have faith in Obama on gay issues. Give him time. He is trying to solve many simultaneouly demanding problems at the same time. On the other hand we should make it clear that we are not going to wait for second term for an end to the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) or the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT). But give him a chance to prove his support. Ours is not the most time critical cause on the stacke of do-it-now emergency actions needed immediately. At the same time I expect that he will continue to speak out on this issue when it comes up, such as when the attacks on the gay youth center in Isreal. Let us keep up the pressure but don’t desert the man until and unless he deserts us. We will clearly measure our support for him for a second term based on what he does during this term, not what he promises for a second term. If we make that clear, I have no doubt that he will come through for us in this term once a few other more immediate fights are won – health care and the environment for instance.

David Myers,
You are the voice of reason in this debate. Obama is by far more preferable than George Bush. Our impatient outlook on Gay rights and Obama’s apparant immobility is understandable but may not be justified right now. Succsess is a science, if you have the conditions, you get the result. Nothing we say will do any good. Obama will do what he thinks is right and that is his punishment.

Ron-Whats wrong with Tony Blair? It was Blair who told Ian McKellen-before the `97 election-that as PM he would advance gay rights. And he did just that. The Blair government gave gays virtually all the eqqual rights they had asked for. On his record for gays-Blair can`t be faulted.